A letter from the past
by favamelie
Summary: April and Jackson grew up together. Life and fate separated them. April lives in Moline, Jackson in Boston. What happens when a letter from the past makes them rediscover their friendship? Japril AU. Rating M in later chapters.
1. 1 A letter from the past

**Hi everyone! This is my first attempt at writing fanfictions and, most of all, English is definetely not my first language. So please, keep that in mind while reading this story. This is probably going to be a 5-7 chapters fic. Something light and easy to help us endure the drama going on in the show. **

**I hope you'll like it. Please let me know with reviews and messages. **

**Last but not least: thank you Hilly and Carina for your support and your help with English. You're precious.**

* * *

It was Friday night and it was so damn cold. Winter was definitely April's least favorite season, especially since she came back to Ohio after her graduation in California. She used to like the snow when she was a little girl, she loved building funny snowmen with her sisters and having snowball fights with her friends. She remembered that night, when her grandpa taught her how to make an angel in the snow. She remembered how happy she was, lying there on the ground, looking at the sky, trying to recognize the constellations and listening to all the funny stories he had to tell. Now the snow was way less romantic. It was cold and dirty at the sides of the streets, the ice was everywhere and that particular day she had slipped three times already. As if that was not enough, work has been crazy. She'd opened her own little office the year before and she was very proud of it. She was the only veterinarian in Moline and helping animals was probably her favorite thing in the world. That day, though, she had to help four cows deliver their calves and spent the last two hours performing a gastric lavender on a little dog and reassuring its old owner that her dog would be just fine, if only she would stop giving him chocolate to eat. For these reasons, she was in a very bad mood when she entered the farm, slamming the door of the living room and running upstairs to her room as fast as she could.

"Is this any way to close the door, lil miss? Do they all slam them in Califorina?" April's mother asked, appearing on the doorframe, without even knocking. Karen Kepner was a sweet, perky lady. Very much like April, much more than her daughter liked to admit. She'd always been a stay-at-home mother. Her whole life has been about her daughters and her husband. She felt so empty when the three of them left for college that she almost jumped from joy when April, her youngest girl, the only one who wasn't married yet, asked her parents to host her for a little while, allowing her to open her office and earn enough money to live on her own. That's why she couldn't help but being disappointed when April announced, a week ago, that she had finally found the perfect apartment and that she was going to move before Christmas.

"Mom, please, leave me alone! I need to get ready, Matthew will be here in 5 minutes and I still have to change my clothes"

"Are you going out with him again?" a male voice asked.

"Here we go again! Daddy, please, I'm 27 and you've known Matt since forever!"

"She's right Joe" her mom intervened, looking at her husband who was approaching them with some letters in his hands "Matthew is a nice, cute boy! He was in love with April in high school but your daughter had to study, and study…she's always been busy, busy, busy…" she said with the voice she usually used for kids "let him have his chance now! God knows…maybe I'll be finally able to organize her wedding in a few months…" she said, smiling and daydreaming already about her little girl in a white dress.

"Mom! Now don't go too far please! I've been dating him for two months, I like him and I'd appreciate it if you, dad, could be nice to him! But marriage is not in the picture" April started pushing her parents out of her room "So, now, guys, please, I really need to get ready. See you tomorrow, don't wait up for me"

"Wait, honey bunny, I found this in the mailbox for you" said Joe, handing her one of the letters he was holding "and, hey, be careful with the guy and remember: if he does anything you don't want to, you call me and I…"

"Dad! I know… don't worry" April smiled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, taking the letter and finally closing the door. She'd always been a daddy's girl. She loved him so much, she loved that he was so protective of her. But now she really needed to move out of her family house and living her life like a grown up woman. She threw the letter on her desk, hurrying to finally put on something nicer than her street clothes when something caught her attention. The farm's address on the envelope was written in a very childish calligraphy, a calligraphy she still remembered very well. She sat on the bed, and looking closer at the envelope she noticed that the date on the stamp was 15th December 1998. She couldn't believe it. She immediately opened it and she had her final confirmation. It was a letter from Jackson. The letter she waited and waited for and never received when she was ten years old. And years later, there it was! She found herself thinking about her childhood's best friend again, after so much time. Doctor Catherine Avery has been their neighbor for ten years. She worked at the nearest hospital and she was so busy at work that Jackson, her only child, used to spend a lot of time on the farm. Karen adored him and he immediately became April's best friend. He was just 2 years older than her and they had a lot in common. They loved dogs, and running in the fields, and ice skating in the winter. They used to spend hours reading adventure books, dreaming of becoming pirates, princesses, warriors or explorers. When Catherine had to leave for Boston, for a better job, April and Jackson spent two days trying to organize the perfect escape. They wanted to leave for the Caribbean and live on the beach like Robinson Crusoe. Above all, they wanted to stay together. April cried for days when reality took over and he had to leave for good. They kept in touch for a few months, writing letters every week, until he didn't answer back anymore. She was sad and mad at him. It has been her first real friendship letdown. The first of a long series.

A huge smile appeared on her face when she started reading the letter:

_"Dear April,_

_Please send me pics of the __puppies; I can only imagine how beautiful they are! I'm happy Sophie is fine, she's a dog-mommy now!Wow!_

_I went ice-skating with Brian yesterday…but it's different here. There's an artificial track, our frozen lake is so much better! I miss it and I miss you! No one is like you here…Brian is cool but I don't laugh with him like I used to laugh with you. And also…he doesn't know how to play blind-man's buff, can you believe it? Kids are weird here! I promise, I'm saving all the money grandpa is giving me…as soon as I have enough money to buy the plane ticket, I'm coming back. Do you think your mom will adopt me? And if she adopts me…do you think you could still be my girlfriend? Because I'd like you to…to be my girl, I mean. Grandpa says that when you want to spend all your time with a person, it means you love that person…I want to spend all my time with you, so I think you should be my girlfriend, but only if you want to of course! Do you? Please, make a cross on your favorite answer:_

_\- Yes, I want to be your girlfriend._

_\- No, I want to be just your best friend._

_I won't be disappointed if you don't want to be my girlfriend, ok?_

_Let me know,_

_Bye, love_

_Jackman"_

She was still shocked. From the situation and from the fact the she spent months thinking Jackson has changed and forgot about her, while he was still the sweetest little boy in the world.

Her mother's voice, announcing Matthew was there, woke her up from her thoughts. She took her purse and quickly looked herself in the mirror. Her hair was still a mess, and she hadn't had the time to put on any makeup. She was sure that it wasn't important to Matthew. He adored her. She'd known him since they were children; actually, he was friends with Jackson too. He'd always been a kind, sweet boy. Just so different from her. She dreamt about going to college and becoming a doctor. He wanted to become a farmer like his father. He didn't like to read, he didn't like music, he was just very fond of tractors and cars, and not much more. In high school she was the nerdy girl, all science and books. People didn't like her that much. Matthew wasn't the most popular guy but he was well liked. He played football and went to parties. When he invited her to the prom, their last year, she though he was just messing with her. She realized he wasn't kidding at all when she came back from college and Matthew showed that his interest in her was still there. He'd been kind and sweet, helping her to open her office and inviting her out with his friends. She decided to give in to his advances two months ago. Maybe it was time for her to date again after the disaster with Bright. And Matt seemed like the right guy for something easy and uncomplicated. He was patient with her; he had helped her with her new apartment, getting everything ready for her to move in without complaining even once, even though she'd been nervous and neurotic the whole time. He was a gentleman. He knew she had issues and that she wasn't ready for their relationship to become too physical, and still, he reassured her he was willing to wait as long as she needed. And he was definitely handsome. They still were very different though. She loved reading novels, he only read sport news. She loved French movies, he was more of a Transformers guy. They didn't have much in common and sometimes she felt like she couldn't really talk to him. Granted, she was complicated. She used to ramble for hours about the craziest things. He tried his best to understand her but he always ended up speechless, smiling and saying something to change the topic. Maybe he wasn't the man she dreamt about when she was a little girl, but he was much better than Bright, at least.

That night he took her to their favorite restaurant in Moline. She told him about Jackson's letter - unintentionally (or purposely?) omitting the girlfriend part - and he was excited about it.

"Oh really? That's so weird! I remember that guy! He was cool, maybe a little bit too shy, huh?!" He said, eating his steak "but you can't feel guilty! It's not your fault if the post service sucks sometimes! Hey, why don't we look him up on Facebook?! I'm sure he has an account! You're the only one who still refuses to have one, Apes" He took out his phone from the pocket of his jeans and he was already opening Facebook when she stopped him:

"Wait, Matthew, don't. I mean, I, I don't know… He probably hates me now so…"

"What are you even saying? You were just kids! I'm sure he's…"

"Look, fine… I'll think about it, ok? Now please, tell me about your day…you went to the city to the supplier, right?"

She had to admit the idea crossed her mind too. She wanted to apologize to him somehow, and Facebook was probably her only chance to find him nowadays. But what could she even say? He'd probably forgotten about her by now. She wanted to think about it a little more. Alone. She decided to enjoy her night out, finally giving all her attention to her boyfriend and her dinner.

Two hours later Matthew drove her back, he parked the car in the farm's courtyard, and walked her to the door.

"See you tomorrow, then?" he asked, pecking her lips quickly, seeing Joe spying out of the window, as usual.

"Sure. And sorry about him" she said, rolling her eyes at her dad, who immediately disappeared behind the window "one more week and I'll have my own place" she said, smiling.

Matthew smirked "oh yes. I can't wait" he pecked her lips once again and went back to his car.

April entered the house, finding Joe on the couch, pretending to read the newspaper "Dad! I saw you, you know?" she said, while crossing the living room to reach the stairs

"What? I was here, reading the news…"

"Yes, sure! " she smiled "Well, goodnight reader"

He laughed "Good night honey"

She went back to her room, changed into her pajamas and then she sat at the desk. She looked at her laptop and decided that she needed to try. She registered on Facebook, spending half an hour only to search a pic in which she looked kind of pretty. And then she wrote his name in the search field. She was suddenly nervous when she saw that Jackson Avery was apparently a common name. There were a lot of accounts. She scrolled through them when a pair of blue-green eyes caught her attention. There he was. She was sure of it. He always had the prettiest eyes… and that smile! Yes, it was Jackson. She tried to spy on his profile a bit, but it was private. She decided then that she needed to grow a pair. In the end, Matthew was right! They were just kids and so many years had passed! She hoped he would be just happy to hear from her again! So, without thinking too much, she sent him a friend request, adding a short message in which she quickly explained what had happened and then she turned off the computer, feeling almost relieved. She fell asleep smiling.

That night she dreamt about frozen lakes and pirates.


	2. 2 Back to the future

**Hi guys! Thanks to all the people who reviewed the first chapter! It means a lot to me! **

**Here's the second chapter...I hope you'll like it! Let me know, as always :)**

**Thanks again (never enough) to Hilly - insideimfeelindirty - for helping me with the language. **

* * *

The hall was crowded. People in suits and dresses were eating, chatting and smiling falsely, pretending to enjoy themselves while all they really wanted to do was running out of there. Jackson was starting to feel very uncomfortable. He generally hated packed and noisy places and, most of all, he hated having to attend events like this one. Mark Sloan, his boss, had told him he needed to be there. Jackson's last novel was published two years before and Sloan convinced him that the publicists were starting to forget about him. Hence, he needed to be there and pretend he was writing the next worldwide best seller, even though he hadn't written a single chapter yet. Jackson had spent the last two hours doing exactly what he was told to and now he was trying his best to keep on smiling while Norman Altman, one of the major publishers in the country, was introducing him to his daughter, who apparently was a big fan of his.

"Nice to meet you, Kristen"

"Oh wow…Jackson Avery! It's such an honor to meet you…I've read all your books!"

"Uhm…well, I actually just wrote that one novel but…"

"Oh yes, I mean…I read your book and everything about you…you're amazing…I mean…a very interesting man…very…" Kristen said, smiling mischievously.

Jackson smiled uncomfortably. These kinds of advances weren't anything new. Jackson was an attractive man and well aware of it. He was used to women offering themselves to him, just because he was handsome or because he was an Avery, the heir of one of the most relevant families in the USA. His grandfather, Harper Avery, was the God of the cardiothoracic surgery and his whole family - uncles, cousins, his own mother – were all pretty much involved in medicine or in the foundation Harper had created. It had been a surprise and a shock for them, when Jackson announced he didn't want to attend medical school after college and that his only dream was to become a writer. While his grandfather was still offended by it, his mother, Catherine, had come to terms with it and accepted her son's career. Not being able to meddle with Jackson's job, she put all her efforts in trying to influence his love life. Her favorite hobby was to introduce him to girls she loved, hoping her son would love them too. She insisted it was time for him to settle down and give her a grandchild. She hadn't spoken to him for a whole month when he left Mara, his latest girlfriend, one of Catherine's protégées. Their relationship had been important to Jackson and, for a short period of time, he had believed that maybe he was finally falling in love for the first time. Mara was a beautiful, smart girl and he was grateful to her; she'd been there for him when he was struggling writing his first novel and she celebrated his success when Mark Sloan finally accepted publishing it. She was crazy in love with him but he didn't reciprocate her feelings entirely. The truth was that he was just trying to love her the way she deserved to be loved. He soon realized that it wasn't fair to her and that being loved wasn't enough for him either. He wanted to experience the kind of love he'd written about since he was 15 years old. He never believed in soul mates, but he refused to believe that the famous butterflies in your stomach were just some corny writer's invention. He wanted to meet someone and feel the sweet torment, the need to be constantly with her, the fear of losing something that's become vital to you. He wanted to fall in love and lose himself completely in another person, feeling vulnerable but happy. If the moment hadn't arrived yet, well, that was totally fine by him. He just had to convince his mother apparently.

Pretending he was receiving a call he couldn't miss, he politely declined Kristen's offer to have a drink with her and headed outside, craving some alone time and fresh air. Fighting the urge to light a cigarette, remembering he'd decided to stop smoking a months before, he picked up his phone instead. He quickly checked his emails and then he saw a new friend request on Facebook. He was happily surprised to see April Kepner's name on the screen. He'd lie if he said that he hadn't searched for her before but he'd never found her on Facebook or Twitter. Even if the girl almost broke his heart when he was a kid, she really became only a sweet memory after a while and he'd always wanted to talk to her again. She probably was the bigger and better part of his childhood after all. He immediately accepted the request when he noticed the short message accompanying it.

_"Hi Jackson,_

_I'm April…April Kepner, from Moline. You probably don't even remember me or, if you do, I bet you hate me or something! You won't believe it but I received your letter from Dec. 1998 only two hours ago! It got lost in archives or whatever. I'm so, so sorry I didn't had the chance to answer you then! Actually, I've been mad at you for months, thinking you'd forgotten about your annoying country girl best friend and then it was all the post service's fault instead! We just had an adverse destiny I guess!_

_I went against my hate for social networks just to find you again…so, please, forgive me and my late reply to your letter (only 15 years, after all :P ). I'd love to know how are you now, where you are and what you've done with your life… I hope I'm not bothering you and to hear from you soon…good night. April_

_PS: this whole situation is kinda cool though, right? Do you remember we used to spend afternoons watching the VHS of Back to the Future? Don't you feel a bit like Marty McFly now? :P"_

Jackson had a beaming smile on his face and he started answering her right away when he heard the door opening and the unmistakable voice of Mark Sloan approaching him

"Avery my man! Why are you hiding here, all alone?" he soon noticed his smile and smirked "Oh, I see… sexting with your secret girlfriend, right?"

Jackson rolled his eyes "I just received a message from an old friend, that's it… and I needed a break! Norman Altman must have talked to my mother…he wants me to date his daughter apparently!"

"And this is bad because…?" Mark laughed, offering him a cigarette that Jackson refused "Avery…she's hot! If I were single I'd definitely take advantage… if you know what I mean"

"Well…if you were single you'd sleep with every breathing woman probably"

"Too bad you're not single anymore, right?" Lexie asked, walking towards them and immediately taking Mark's cigarette and throwing it away "and I told you, you have to stop smoking! Plus, Jackson is trying to quit and you do it in front of him? What a nice friend!"

Mark cleared his throat, suddenly kind of embarrassed "We were just kidding, love of my life" he smiled, giving her his famous puppy's eyes and hugging her from behind.

"You're so whipped!" Jackson laughed "Lex, you totally have him by his balls, you know that?"

"Oh sure! I just love seeing him all worried and guilty," she laughed, giving her husband a quick kiss on the cheek

"Ha ha…you two are so nice! Make fun of me as much as you want but the truth is that you couldn't live without me! Both of you! And Avery… your attempt at changing the topic is not working…" he looked at Lexie, smirking "you should know that our friend here is a chicken…he's hiding here because he's afraid Kristen Altman will jump him in the coatroom or something!"

"Kristen Altman? She'd jump him in front of her own father! She totally has a crush on you Jackson"

Jackson rolled his eyes again "well, too bad I'm not interested then…"

"Sure thing! I found him here, all smiling, texting, or sexting most likely… I bet he's seeing someone and he doesn't want to tell us…"

"Once again…I wasn't texting anyone…let alone sexting! But actually…no, you know what? Yes! I have a secret girlfriend that really, really, reeeally wants me to go home now… so, will you let me go?"

"Nice try, Avery! Nice try! Not working though…we need to go back inside actually, I still have to introduce you to Mr. Banks…he can't wait to hear everything about your next novel…"

"The non-existent novel you mean…" Jackson added

"Whatever… pretending is the key, man! I told you!"

"Yeah…I know!" Jackson sighed "just give me a minute, I need to call my mom"

"Oh shit… A chicken and a mama's boy…no wonder he's still single!" Mark said laughing at Lexie, dragging her back inside the hall.

Jackson shook his head. Mark Sloan was wearisome sometimes. But he wasn't just his boss, he's become one of his closest friends and he knew he cared a lot about him. He'd been patient with him and his writer's block, covering him with the management of the publishing house. The least Jackson could do to thank him was attending this event and pretending he was really writing a masterpiece.

He wanted to answer April before putting on his best straight face and returning back inside, though. He was so happy he found her again and he couldn't wait to talk to her more.

_"I can't believe it! April Kepner! The little redhead who broke my poor twelve-year-old-heart! I should probably sue the US postal service then! Years and years of therapy because of a mistake! :D_

_I'm kidding…I'm happy you found me and I can't wait to talk more! Does your aversion towards technology include Skype?! I'd like to call you and chat a little bit! I want to know everything about these last, what? 15 years? And I bet my mom would die to hear some gossip from her "beloved" Moline!_

_I'm attending a very boring work related event right now and I have to go, but don't wait years to write me back this time, ok?_

_PS: This is kinda cool indeed! Are you coming to my house with a DeLorean later in the night? Please say yes!"_

Before going back inside he quickly looked at her profile. She had literally just created it. The pic she chose was beautiful though. He remembered a tiny, little shy girl with big glasses and braids. She's always been pretty to him, but now she really seemed to be gorgeous. Her message made his night. Totally.


	3. 3 Friends again

**Thanks, thanks and thanks to all of you who reviewed or messaged me. Knowing that you're liking this story makes me really happy! **

**My dear friend Carina, I hope to make you laugh a little bit with this chapter :) Puss och kram 3**

* * *

"And here we are...back in the living room! Oh, Jackson honey! I'm so happy to see you again! You're so handsome! You were so so pretty when you were a child...but look at you now! Look at him April! Isn't he even prettier?"

"Moooom... Excuse her Jackson, you know how she is..."

Jackson laughed at the other end of the phone, "Thank you Mrs Kepner."

Three weeks had passed since April's first message on Facebook and now they could officially say that their friendship was back on track.  
April was so nervous about calling him the first time but after a few minutes she relaxed and they talked for hours. Jackson's voice had obviously changed but she could tell he was still the smart, kind, funny boy she knew years before. She was so happy when he told her he became a writer. She'd always thought he had this incredible talent to invent brilliant stories and knowing that he'd written a successful young-adult novel, appreciated both by the critics and the audience, made her very proud somehow. She made him laugh out loud when he asked if she had realized her dream to be a surgeon like his mother and she answered "Well, kind of. I'm a vet...You know I've always been more at ease with animals then people."

Over the last few weeks talking to Jackson had become a pleasant habit. They texted or spoke on the phone almost everyday and they often video-called each other too. They even spent an entire evening on Skype, watching Back to the Future together, reciting the lines by heart like they used to.  
That morning Jackson had asked April to give him a tour of the farm. He'd spent a good amount of time there when he was a kid and he wanted to see it again, even if it was only through a screen. Karen was enthusiastic when April told her she was in touch with Jackson again, so she's been more then pleased to follow her daughter around the house and be Jackson's official chaperone. She insisted in showing him every angle of the house, stables and barns included.  
"So, what do you think? It's still all the same, right?"  
"Pretty much, yes! Still very nice, ma'am."  
"Oh, you should come to visit us...with your mother of course! Don't forget to tell her to call me! I can't wait to chitchat with an old friend."  
April rolled her eyes, smiling, "Good luck to Catherine then!"  
"What do you mean, sweetheart?"  
April was answering when Joe arrived from the kitchen, followed by Matthew, "She meant that Catherine wouldn't be interested in knowing all the unnecessary gossip from this small, old town."  
"Oh I bet she would, Mr Kepner! Nice to see you again, by the way," Jackson interjected, silently asking April to turn the phone so that he could see him properly. "Oh Matt! Hi!" he added, noticing Matthew behind Joe, who greeted him with a smile and a wave of the hand.  
"Hey man! Nice to see you again!" Matthew said, approaching April and putting an arm around her shoulders. He and Jackson had already spoken during the last three weeks and April was happy to see they got along just like the old times, even if they couldn't be more different.  
"I guess I let you two go then. You're starting to move April's stuff into the new apartment, right?"  
"Yep! I'm here to help" Matthew said, kindly brushing April's hair and getting a dark look from her father  
"Ok...bye guys and thanks for the tour Mrs Kepner!"  
"You're welcome honey!"  
"Bye Jackson, have a good day! Talk soon," April waived and turned off the phone, dragging Matthew up the stairs to take some boxes from her room, leaving her parents alone.  
"Great, just great" Joe said, puffing.  
"What?"  
"My worst nightmare has just come true...two guys hitting on my little girl."  
Karen laughed "Oh please! First of all, April is not your baby girl anymore! I wish she was too, but she's a woman and she's going to live on her own in a few days! Deal with it! Plus...she's with Matt, and Jackson is a friend, he lives far away, so..."  
"So what!? I saw the way he looked at her and Matthew saw it too…believe me"  
"Oh come on, you can tell Jackson cares about her a lot, yes. They were best friends and apparently still are, after all."  
"He doesn't just care...He looks at her with lust! I'm a man, I know these things!"  
"Well, if this is true, you're not the one who should be worried about it. And, you know what? If you're right...well, good for her! Have you seen them? Matthew and Jackson...oh..."  
Joe rolled his eyes, knowing his wife had just started one of her interminable rambles.  
"...they're both so handsome! So, so dreamy! Ah, I would really consider dating them both at the same time if I were in her shoes!" Karen smirked, heading into the kitchen, knowing this was the only thing she could say to distract her husband from their daughter's love life. Joe was shocked indeed. He followed her, eyebrows raised, "Don't you dare say that Karen, I swear, if you..." he slammed the door behind him. April and Matthew were coming down the stairs and heard only those last words  
"Ehm…Please, tell me that my mother hasn't just said she's considering having a threesome with someone!"

Matthew laughed out loud, "Well...She said..."  
"No, stop, I don't wanna know...whatever she was saying, I prefer not to know"  
He laughed again, opening the front door to put the boxes in his car.

April and Matthew spent the entire afternoon moving stuff from the farm to the apartment. It was 7 p.m. when they finally finished unpacking all the boxes.  
"Ahhh finally!" April said, lying on her new coach for the first time.  
"We made it! Your new home! You can move here whenever you want now, you know that?" Matthew said, sitting down, putting her legs on his lap, starting to take off her shoes.  
April suddenly felt nervous. This was basically the first time her and Matthew were alone under a roof. In those three months of dating, their intimate moments had usually taken place in Matthew's car. She lived with her parents so the farm was totally out of the picture and he lived with two friends of his. April wasn't a fan of that dirty, smelly apartment and she definitely didn't like going there and having to share the bathroom with his disorderly friends and the random girls they took home. She was supposed to be happy and relieved to finally have a place for them. She had fantasized about this moment before. Matthew was a handsome, sweet guy and she was attracted to him but they hadn't gone much further than second base until now. He had tried to sometimes, but she had always stopped him. She told him - and herself - that she needed time, that she was still hurt from the experience with Bright and that making love in the car or with his friends in the next room wasn't the best idea. She wanted their first time together to be beautiful and romantic. So they waited but she could tell that Matthew was becoming less patient everyday.

"Oh, ehm… Matt…wait, we need to go…I really have to take a shower before going out for dinner with Mer and Alex."

"Well…" he said, caressing her legs, eying her intently. "I think I've seen a shower in the bathroom here…I could use it too…" he smirked

"Right…yes… but I have to change my clothes too… I'd prefer to go home now, you know… I'm still living there and all my personal things are still there so…" she got up from the couch, dragging him with her and then kissed him deeply. "I'm sorry…I want to be alone with you too…but come on, just a few more days…"

Apparently she managed to distract him because he just smiled and nodded.

On their way back April felt a little guilty; in the back of her mind she knew that something was wrong. Sex was easy and natural for the 90% of her peers but she definitely belonged to the remaining 10%. She'd grown up with the idea of love inextricably connected with marriage and, while she refused to believe that being a good girl meant saving yourself for the right one, she ended up waiting more than her friends did in high school anyway. She'd always been shy and her insecurities about her physical appearance didn't help her feeling sexier. She'd had her first time with Bright, her first real boyfriend, in college, when she finally felt confident enough to let go of all her inhibitions, when she felt safe and loved. She didn't regret having that experience with him, no matter what happened later, no matter that Bright was the main reason why all those insecurities she'd managed to leave behind were still bothering her now. She knew that in that particular moment it had felt right and that was enough for her. Now she wanted her first time with Matthew to feel right. She needed it to feel right in order to finally be herself again.

Back at the farm, April ran to her room to quickly get ready for the night, willing herself to have fun and forget about her paranoia. She convinced herself that it was just a matter of timing and the wrong atmosphere. Tonight she was probably too tired anyway and it wasn't the right moment to overanalyze her relationship with Matthew or with sex, for that matter. She decided to focus on the fact that in a few days she was finally going to start her new life in Moline as a grown woman. That she had a job she loved and that right now, a handsome boyfriend and lovely friends were waiting for her to have fun. Thinking about all the reasons she had to be happy and relaxed she couldn't help but think of Jackson. She had spoken to him in the morning but she missed him already. When they were kids, playing with him and talking to him was almost an addiction. She had other friends but he was the only one that truly understood her. He never forced her to be different; he just accepted and loved her, with all her flaws and weirdness. Apparently nothing had changed. In the last weeks, Jackson had been incredibly important to her. She felt at ease with him and he was as addictive as before. Matthew was a little jealous at first, but she reassured him that Jackson was like a brother to her and technically she wasn't lying. Even though she couldn't say she hadn't noticed his eyes, his smile and his perfect body, it wasn't really important to her. He was much more than a beautiful face and she was honored to be his best friend again. She didn't even want to think about possible complications.

She took out her phone and quickly texted him:

"_Apartment ready! I'll give you a tour of my new home soon…without my mom this time :D Hope you had a great day! Going out dinner now…miss you, talk tomorrow? Bye Jackman_!"

Friendship was so much easier than love. Wasn't it?


	4. 4 Mama knows

**Sorry for the delay guys! Inspiration just went away for a while apparently. I hope you're still interested in this story!**

**Please, be kind and forgive any language mistake. I wanted to upload this chapter now and I haven't asked my lovely beta Hilly any help this time. **

**Hope you'll like it. Please, let me know with reviews and messages. Your opinion means everything. **

* * *

Jackson loved walking down the streets of Boston on Sunday mornings. The city was relatively quiet and he loved observing how people seemed to be so much more relaxed, enjoying some time with family and friends or jogging in the park. He was reaching his mother to have breakfast in their favorite place.

Sunday breakfasts with Catherine were their family tradition. She was always so busy at work but, since he was a child, she tried her best to have Sundays off and enjoy some time with her boy. When they lived in Moline, Jackson often felt different from his friends. First of all, he hadn't a father. Alexander Avery left his mother when he was four years old and he didn't even try to keep in touch with his son after that. And then Catherine wasn't the kind of mother all his friends had. She was strong and independent. She hated cooking and baking. She was always at work and when she was home she was usually busy reading medical journals. She really dedicated time to her son only on Sundays taking him out for their waffle-breakfasts while all his friends were at church. During his childhood, Jackson had hoped for her mother to be more affectionate and caring, like April's mom was. He wanted to be like the others and he wanted his mother to be more traditional. Growing up, though, he had understood that Catherine loved him more then she loved herself and he admired her immensely now. Without the help of his father, she did a great job, teaching him how to be independent and determined in following his dreams. He loved her, she was a great mother. Just very stressful to handle sometimes.

Jackson was almost arrived when his phone rang. As soon as he saw April's picture on the screen he smiled. More than a month has passed now from their first messages exchange and he could tell that his life had taken an interesting twist since then. Talking to her and rediscovering that part of his life he had almost forgotten had been like a Prozac to him. Thanks to April and her affectionate reassurances he'd been able to start writing again. She had wanted to read his first novel and her passionate review was probably the most interesting one he had ever received. April was able to change his mood and cheer him up like no one else. Every day, he couldn't wait to receive a message from her or talking to her and he couldn't help but feeling disappointed when he knew she was with Matthew. Jackson was starting to fear his feelings. In the last days, he had started to think of her like something more than just his newfound best friend. He had started noticing all the small details about her: the way in which she curled her hair when she was talking, the embarrassed tone of her voice when he complimented her about something, the beautiful dimples when she laughed, the way she cracked and massaged her neck after spending too much time skyp-ing at the computer. And he found it all so damn sexy. At first, he thought he was only idealizing her. April was the better part of his childhood and he knew everyone always tend to idealize their past somehow. Plus, the whole we-found-eachother-again-thanks-to-some-destiny's-trick-and-now-I'm-single-and-you're-beautiful-and-I-kinda-want-you thing was the perfect starting for a classic rom-com and maybe it was messing with his head, making him see romance where there really was just a great friendship. Jackson was soon realizing, though, that the innocent feelings he had for her when they were kids were totally still there, except that the innocent part of them was nowhere to be seen apparently. He knew he was at a turning point now; he had to decide if he wanted to expose himself and his feelings to her and consequently risk their newfound friendship or if it was better to let things as they were, waiting for his crush to pass.

"Hey you!" He said, smiling, answering her call.

"Hi Jackson! How are you?"

"Fine…going to meet my mom for breakfast! You? You haven't called yesterday, I missed you."

"I know...I'm sorry, I missed you too! I just had this crazy day at work and then Matthew took me to dinner so…"

"Right." Matthew again. He was starting to really hate the poor man, "did you have fun?" he asked, trying to fake interest.

"Hum, yes…it was nice. I just…What about Skype-night tonight?" she blurted out, almost embarrassed, "I'll finally be at my place…Matt wanted to have a welcome-party or whatever but I'd really prefer to enjoy my little house alone at first…or, well…with you at the other end of the pc…You'll probably have something better to do though, so don't worry if you can't…" her voice sounded shy and Jackson couldn't help but smile widely, knowing she preferred to spend the night talking to him instead of being with her boyfriend.

"Actually I'm free tonight so…call you at 9?"

"Hum…yeah, perfect!"

"Ok…I have to go now, I'm in front of the cafeteria and my mom is looking at me through the window. She'll probably bombard me with questions to know who I was talking to, want to bet?"

"I have no doubts," April said, laughing "say hallo to Catherine for me. See you later then, well, kind of."

Jackson smiled "Sure! Have a great day, bye April!"

He then put the phone back in his jeans pocket and entered the cafeteria, approaching his mother, waiting for him. Their waffles already on the small table.

"Hi sweetheart! You're late," she said, standing up to hug her son.

"Yeah, I know... I'm sorry" he said, sitting down in front of her.

"So…April, huh? New girl?"

Jackson rolled his eyes "You and your ability to read lips!"

"So? Something to tell me?"

"Well...actually yes. She's not my new girlfriend…she's my best friend and you kind of know her already," he smiled, "April Kepner…Moline…remember?"

Catherine looked at him surprised "Kepner? Your adorable childhood's sweetheart? I didn't know you two were still in touch!"

"We weren't…but she found me on Facebook a month ago...and so…we're friends again, like the old time I would say. And her mother wants to talk to you by the way! She asked me to give you her number…I totally forgot!"

"Well, well, well… now I understand why you were such in a good mood lately! April Kepner always had this effect on you...you were so adorable, all in love with this dorky friend of yours!"

"Mom! Don't even start! 15 years had passed, if you haven't noticed. We're adults now, can we stop talking about my old crush?"

"Nope. Not if it isn't old at all. I know you, Jackson. I saw the look in your eyes when you were talking to her on the phone…she's not just a friend!"

Jackson tried to tell something but Catherine immediately stopped him "…And before you say anything, ok, I know, you don't want to talk about this with me. But your eyes aren't fooling me baby" she smiled.

"Whatever." Jackson said, eating his waffles "I don't even know why you're so happy by the way. You usually bombard me with questions about my girlfriends and then decide if they are worth your precious son" he smirked

Catherine laughed "Well…I was waiting for you to call her your girlfriend first! Now that you said it, we can move on with the questions" she smirked, noticing Jackson frustration.

"I didn't mean…" he tried to add, when she stopped him again "So, if I remember well, she wanted to become a surgeon just like me… is she a surgeon?"

Jackson rolled his eyes, knowing he couldn't escape his mother's questions "Hum…not. She's still a doctor though, a veterinarian precisely. "

"Ah… well, better than nothing I guess".

"Mom! Don't be a snob like always, please. She's smart and she could very well be the best surgeon in the Country. She just decided that she was more interested in veterinary, is that bad?!"

"Don't get mad baby. I'm not saying anything bad about your sweetheart!" Catherine smiled, teasing him "I'm sure she's a smart veterinarian and she has a nice job…at least she's helping someone, right? And she's working…"

"And here we are again…" Jackson said, knowing exactly what his mother was insinuating.

"Jackson…come on. You did an amazing job with your novel, and I'm proud of you. But three years had passed and you're still waiting for inspiration. Now it's not a shame if you decide that it is better to accept your grandpa's invitation. The foundation is yours too. You can become part of it now, if you want."

"That's the problem. I don't want to. Is that so hard to understand?! I'm a writer! And yes, I had a bit of a crisis lately but you know what? I'm writing again! And I'm also positive my new story going to be good!"

"Oh, that's amazing sweetheart! I'm glad to know it…but please, if you'll ever…"

"..need a real steady job, I know I can count on you and grandpa. Yes."

Catherine pager went off. She rolled her eyes while checking it "They have to call me on Sundays too, now. It's the hospital, I guess I have to go now." She said, smiling when she noticed Jackson's face lighten up "you could at least pretend to be disappointed, you know that? It's courtesy!"

Jackson laughed "Sorry but my interrogation just ended…can't I be happy about it?"

"Right…saved by the bell, I guess" Catherine smiled, hugging her son.

"Say hi to April for me, honey. And send me her mother's number…so we can talk about our future grandbabies!"

"Oh boy, go away, leave me alone!" he said, laughing and pushing her toward the exit.


	5. 5 Drunk night

**Hi guys! Sorry for the late update! Real life just takes over sometimes. **

**I hope I can make it up to you with this longer, very _japrily_ chapter :)**

**Please, let me know what you think about it!**

**This one is for C in particular. Happy friendiversary sweetie!**

* * *

Having dinner all by herself for the first time in a while, in her brand new apartment, was really nice. April didn't want to admit it but she'd been pretty happy when Matthew told her he had a family dinner settled that night and that he had to work very early in the morning the next day. The idea of spending the first night in her apartment with Matthew scared her at the moment. She'd decided that she had to be honest with him, talk to him, ask him some time apart in order to understand if she really wanted to start something serious with him or not. This needed talk with Matthew could wait one more day, though. Tonight she wanted nothing more than feel totally carefree and cheerful, just for one time.

April ordered take away sushi, her favorite food. She ate her dinner while watching some random episodes of her favorite tv show and she'd already drunk half bottle of red wine when she heard the distinct sound of a Skype call. She quickly looked herself in the mirror of the hallway, she was wearing her yoga shorts and her big, Stanford t-shirt. She wanted to wear something nicer and maybe putting on some make up before skyping with Jackson but she totally lost the sense of time. She just freed her hair then and went sitting on her couch, in front of the computer, answering Jackson's call.

"Hey Jackman!" she cheerfully waived her hand, immediately noticing Jackson's outfit. He was wearing a white, pretty elegant shirt, "Ha ha… perfect! You could tell me this was a formal skype night! You're all chic and I'm a mess…and I'm supposed to be the girl, here, you know?"

Jackson laughed, noticing April's embarrassment and finding it really cute "I just came home from this boring press conference, and hadn't had the time to change! Actually, can you excuse me a moment?", he disappeared from the screen before April could even answer and she heard him yelling "You're very cute all college-like by the way!" He came back five minutes later wearing his Harvard's basketball uniform.

April laughed "Harvard? Really? Don't tell me you want to start the college-competition now".

Jackson giggled "Hey, you provoked me… I lost one of the most important games in my life against your basketball team…I'm still bitter about it!"

"Ha ha, well…I'm not surprised, our basketball guys were pretty amazing."

"They were, huh?! Let me guess… you dated one of them, am I right? I know that look on your face".

April giggled "what look? I don't know what you're talking about… "

"Yes, sure! You little naïve girl! Come on…tell me, what's his name? I told you everything about Mara and I still know nothing about your past love life," Jackson said, smirking.

"Can we postpone this conversation for a moment? I'd like to give you the tour of my apartment before I'll be completely drunk.. For your information, I had lots of wine already and I'm seeing you too sober man! This is a long-distance-party…where's your glass?!"

Jackson laughed "Let me see your house and we'll drink a toast after, promised. I have two bottles of beer waiting for me in the fridge."

"No way! Beer is not enough for a great alcoholic night. Come on!"

Jackson laughed, seeing April standing up from the coach and taking her pc to show him her place. She was really cute, and sexy, she was driving him crazy already and their night had just began.

"I'll go with whiskey then I guess."

"Perfect! You got It finally." She smiled, "ok so… It's just a three rooms apartment, we're basically finished the tour already," she laughed while moving her computer around to show him the room, "this is the small kitchen…and you already saw the couch…which is basically all the living room I have and…" she said, while walking across the hallway, "this is my room…what do you think? Does it look like the room of a grownup woman?"

Jackson giggled "I see no posters of Justin Timberlake so.…well, there are still those super girly pillows on the bed…and I can clearly see Tommy on the bedside table," he laughed, indicating the old teddy bear he knew very well, April's favorite toy when they were children, "but yo're definitely making progress…I'd say you're almost there." He loved to tease her just to see her reaction.

"Ha ha, very funny… I'll pretend not to remember you had a doll when you were five just because I'm looking forward to our drink toast and I want my wine as soon as possible!"

"Never had a doll…you're drunk already!" Jackson laughed, "And hey…what are you hiding behind that door? There's still a room to see.."

"It's just the bathroom…nothing you need to see."

"Why? Do you have a Justin Timberlake poster on the wall in there?"

April bursted out laughing while putting the pc back on the coffee table and sitting back on the couch.

"I totally guessed, didn't I?" Jackson said, laughing and admiring her smile. He loved making her laugh. He couldn't help it, he found her giggle adorable and she was really doing nothing to help his crush remaining silent tonight.

"No you didn't… I just left my underwear all over the floor and I don't want you to see it" she smiled, without really thinking at her words.

"Why? What if I wanna see it, huh?"

April blushed. If she didn't know him so well she would think he was flirting with her.

"Oh hush, stop it… and take your whiskey..time for drink!"

"What do you think about a drinking game? It's not a party without a drinking game!"

April smiled excitedly "Yes! You're right! Let's do it! Ok, it works like this: you ask me something you never asked me, I have to drink a glass of wine and answer you sincerely. Then it will be your turn."

"Ehm.. usually you drink OR you answer…"

"We change the rules…don't be boring! I wanna drink and I want you to answer everything I ask you!"

"Well…you have to answer everything I ask you too, though…you know that?"

"I have my ways to avoid questions I don't like…don't worry" she smiled, taking her glass and filling it with red wine, "come on, you go first. Ask" she said while drinking the wine quickly.

"Ok…so… you avoided the ex-boyfriend topic before… I told you everything about Mara..I don't know anything about your past love stories…so, come on, spill it."

"Oh well…there's really nothing interesting to say… I had a non-existing love life until college…then there was Bright… and he kinda broke my heart. You know, the dorky girl and the popular guy. So cliché, too much cliché, even for me!"

"What happened, why he broke your heart?"

"Let's say..I wasn't worth waiting for, apparently. We dated for a whole year without having sex. I wasn't ready. I thought he was ok with it. Then we had sex and everything was great until it wasn't anymore. I discovered that he cheated on me a month before our first time. He was drunk and that beautiful girl was right there and, you know, one thing leads to another…classic right?"

"Classic when you're dating an idiot!"

"Oh no.. I mean, yes, he was an idiot…but I forgave him. He tried everything to take me back, he apologized, I understood him, he had his reasons, I wasn't perfect. I was pretty hard to understand, actually. Still am and I know it. He's a good guy, really…just, not the guy for me. I'm not mad at him for cheating on me anymore…I just, uhm… I guess he's the reasons why I'm not having sex with Matthew and he's probably cheated on me too by now "

Jackson frowned "What do you mean you're not having sex with Matthew?" and April could feel a mix of concern and relief in his voice.

"I mean what I mean. I'm not having sex with him… I just don't feel like it and I don't know why…or maybe I do. it's just… wait. Enough with me. Too many questions for only a glass of wine! It's your turn baby!"

Jackson knew she was just joking but hearing her endearment made his heart skip a bit. He decided not to push the conversation too much for now. He wanted to know more but he had to be careful. He drunk his glass of whiskey and said "Ok..go. Just to be clear, though, another glass and I'll be totally drunk, you know that?"

April laughed "I'm completely drunk already, so where's the problem?! Ok…so… You said Bright is an idiot. Are you telling me you never broke a girl's heart? Never cheated on someone?"

"Nope. I mean.. I never cheated, I'm not that kind of guy, you should know that. I probably broke some hearts in the past but it was unintentional for sure. The thing is… You decide to be with one person right? Well, if you don't love her anymore you just tell her. No need for cheating in my opinion. "

April felt a distinct knot in her stomach "Well..it's not always that easy!"

"I'm not saying it's easy but.."

"..but it's right. I know. It's just…what if I leave him and then I'm alone for the rest of my life? Maybe I denied myself a happy, quiet life just because I don't feel the sparks…so what? It's not all about that!"

"Wait…are we talking about you and Matthew now?" Jackson asked, confused by her sadden confession.

April drunk another glass of wine and rested her head on the back of the coach "Yes, yes we are. I think I don't love him enough, not as much as he loves me. But maybe I should just wait…it's not always love at first sight. Sometimes it grows in you, right?. I mean, the love…and the passion..maybe I'll feel them, with time. Maybe I just need to leave my damn insecurities behind..maybe it's just that."

"Or maybe he's just not the guy for you if he's not able to make you see that you're..."

April laughed bitterly, interrupting him "..the guy for me doesn't exist apparently then. Because I'm too neurotic, too demanding, I don't know, I'm..."

"You're incredible" Jackson said out loud, without thinking, following his instinct "You're neurotic, yes, and you may be demanding…but you're sweet, and understanding, and funny, and so beautiful! And if you don't see yourself like this it means you haven't found the right guy yet. You need to be with someone who makes you feel worthy, because you are. Believe me."

April smiled, almost moved "Thank you Jackson…I know you're saying this because you're my best friend but I really appreciate it."

"I'm saying this because it's true. I'm your best friend, I'm not your brother April! I'm a man and I see you as you are!"

"And how am I then?" she asked, curious.

Jackson smiled, drunk another glass of liquor "Is this my turn to answer sincerely?"

"It is."

"Well, then... I think you're beautiful, very, very sexy. Probably the sexiest woman I've ever met."

April laughed "Yes sure. You're so drunk Jackman! You just saw me on your computer! How can you say I'm the sexiest woman you've ever met?!"

"First of all, sensuality is not all about you're physical aspect. Your voice is sexy. The way you laugh is sexy. The way you curl your hair with your fingers is pretty damn sexy. And then…Let me remember you you've became a Facebook addicted and you put on there a lot of your college pics. I saw you in a bikini and, believe me, your body is kind of perfect!"

April blushed "Did you really spent your time looking through my bikini pics?"

"Oh, you have no idea!"

April laughed, surprised "That's…"

"Creepy? Pervert?"

"No…I…" she drunk again and continued "I was saying that's flattering, actually."

They stayed in silence for a little while, deciding if they wanted to continue that dangerous conversation. Then Jackson decided he was drunk enough to take the next step:

"I spend a lot of time thinking about you recently…about you in general, and about you in a bikini…and about you naked, for that matter." He laughed, seeing April's shocked expression "Thanks goodness I'm far away from you now… I can see your hand ready to slap me."

April laughed out loud "Ok, this is getting serious, I think I need a lot of alcohol to answer you're next question, am I right?" She took the bottle of wine and drunk directly from it.

Jackson laughed, reassured by the fact that she was playing his game "Probably yes, considering I'm going to ask you if you ever think about me naked. Have you ever fantasized about me, April?"he said, smirking and sitting more comfortable on his armchair.

April's heart was beating faster. She was tipsy, probably drunk, and she was enjoying that weird conversation more than she should have. She felt at ease though. Relaxed.. She felt ready to unfold, she wanted it.

"Well… I had a few dreams in which you were pretty naked, I guess, yes."

Jackson smiled widely "Dreams huh? And what were we doing in those dreams?"

April blushed "Oh come on! You know it!"

"Nope…I don't, but I want to know what I I do when I'm asleep…"

April giggled "Well, you do… wonderful things…"

"Yeah? Wonderful things like kissing you, for example?"

"Maybe..."

"…and like touching you…everywhere?"

April blushed furiously "Mhm mhm…for example…"

Jackson smiled, seeing her letting go "…and I make love to you?"

"…yes."

"…and I make you come?"

"Oh God Jackson!"

He smirked "I can take it as a yes?!"

She opened her mouth to speak but wasn't able to say nothing, she laughed embarrassed instead.

"I'll take it as a yes. Ok." Jackson smirked "You made me come too, by the way, multiple times…"

"Jackson!"

He laughed out loud at her shocked expression. He had to admit he was embarrassed too but he didn't want to stop either "What? I told you I think about you naked…what do you think I do meanwhile?!"

April put her hands on her face and shook her head "I need to adjust the thermostat, it's getting too hot in here" she said, voice low, involuntarily flirting.

"Then take off your shirt.." he smirked "It's hot in here too, by the way…really, really hot." He said while taking off his own t-shirt.

April blushed furiously, not being able to take her eyes away from his perfect chest and abs, "I…uhm… Jackson, come on..I don't know what we're doing anymore…I…"

"Just go with your instinct April… I want you, I want you so much and I'm dying because I can't kiss your perfect lips right now! Just..please…just imagine this is one of your dreams…I can't kiss you right now, I can't touch you, but I want to make you feel good…let me make you feel good…"

April looked directly into his eyes. His stare was serious, intense and sweet, so incredibly tender. Without saying anything more she took the hem of her t-shirt and slowly took it off of her shoulders, revealing her naked chest. Jackson's immediate moan was enough to make her completely forget any inhibitions. She never felt more beautiful and sexy. He was making her feel confident. He was making her feel safe.

He was making her feel loved.


	6. 6 The morning after

**Hi guys! I know...it's been ages, I'm sorry. I hope you are still with me and that this story is still somehow interesting to you. I'll try to end it before season 12 starts...finger crossed :D**

* * *

The morning after, Jackson woke up to the intrusive sound of his telephone. Opening his eyes, he realized that he was still in his living room, half naked, the empty bottle of whiskey forgotten on the small table in front of the sofa next to his laptop. His head hurt like crazy as soon as he tried to get up from the armchair, immediately pointing out that this was going to be one of the worst hangover of his life. He run to the kitchen to reach his phone, hoping with all his heart to read April's name on the screen. He couldn't really tell when they stopped talking and how he ended up falling asleep on the armchair but he vividly remembered what happened before sleeping and, while he didn't regret anything, he feared that April would feel ashamed, embarrassed, probably guilty. He wanted nothing more than hearing her voice and reassuring her that everything was fine.

When he saw that it was Mark Sloan calling him Jackson couldn't help but feel disappointed. He answered quickly and unwillingly accepted to meet him for breakfast. He had apparently read the drafts Jackson had sent him two weeks before and he was impatient to talk to him about his work-in-progress novel. He needed to hurry up and thought that a shower could help his headache. He would have tried to call April on his way to the meeting. The stream of the warm water running down his face and shoulders was actually helpful for the pain but it did nothing to distract him. He couldn't stop thinking about last night, he still didn't know why it happened, he sure didn't want to tell April about his feelings for her with a hot – very hot – skype sex session or whatever that was but things happened so naturally it just seemed right and easy and he couldn't regret it. Watching April close her eyes, bite her lips and moan for him was probably the hottest thing he had ever seen. The fact that he couldn't see much more than her face and he had to imagine what she was doing drove him wild. He kept thinking at the way she looked at him through the screen, sweet, innocent and yet mischievous, at her voice, usually perky and squealing, that was low and sexy instead and then the things she said, the fact that she had been having a lot of fantasies about him the whole time, the way she trusted him, exposing herself without fear. Everything felt somehow wrong and perfect at the same time. The mere thought was turning him on again, he sighed in frustration and quickly turned the shower to cold.

Three hours later he was still waiting for Mark Sloan, he'd been trapped In some kind of meeting and told Jackson to wait for him in his office. Jackson tried to write and work a little bit but he kept starring at his phone. He had tried to call April all morning but she didn't answer. He was starting to worry now and he almost jumped on the chair when he saw her picture on the screen, she was calling him back finally.

"Hey Jackman!" she said, her voice was lively and perky, definitely not the hangover-what-the-hell-did-we-do-last-night voice he was expecting to hear.

"Oh, hey…finally…I tried to call you a lot of times this morning".

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry, I had an early appointment at work…do you need anything?"

Jackson was taken aback, he was expecting some kind of freak out, not this calm and quiet April.

"No, I…I just wanted to talk about last night…see how you were doing this morning…"

"Ugh, my head still hurts but I drank like four coffees since breakfast and that helped" she laughed quietly "I just hope I hadn't embarrassed myself yesterday Jackson, I remember giving you a skype tour of my new apartment and then everything is black basically" she laughed again then while Jackson felt weird, reviled and yet sad at the same time. The night before was a long shot and if he was afraid their relationship could become awkward or change in some ways, he also secretly hoped it could change for the best.

"Oh, uhm…you don't remember anything? Really?"

"Nope… and it is scaring to be honest, it's the first time I drank so much…and now you are kinda worrying me even more Jackman. Did I say something bad?"

"No…ehm..no, no, nothing bad" he hurried to say. _Very dirty, yes, but definitely not bad_, he thought, flashes of the previous night running through his mind once again.

"Ok, thanks God! So…do you need to talk about anything in particular? Because, ehm… I don't have a lot of time now, actually. I'm leaving…going to visit my grandma, I haven't seen her in months so…I'll spend the night there and be back tomorrow evening…Can I call you when I get back? You know there's no coverage for phones in the middle of nothing there" she laughed and Jackson had the distinct feeling that something was off, despite her efforts to appear all happy and relaxed.

"I…yeah…I just…you seem a bit.."

"Avery, my man! Sorry for taking so long" Mark interrupted him, entering the office with the usual bright smile.

"Ugh…gotta go April, I have a meeting with my editor right now…talk to you tomorrow, I guess?" he said, sighing, not really wanting to let her go so easily.

"Yes, sure! Good luck for your meeting! And have a great day Jackman!"

"Thanks, you too. Bye"

Mark Sloan was watching him, amused.

"Ha, the beauty of the young love! You two are so cute" he said, smirking.

"Good morning Mark… glad to see you four hours after our appointment" Jackson said, annoyed, trying to change the topic as soon as he could.

"Ehy, I was working for you! I just finished the meeting with the bosses… they loved your new idea, they love the plot and the way you are writing it! You're doing great man!"

"Oh, thank you! I'm glad! I…uhm…it's still a work in progress but I'm happy they're liking it so far…"

"Yeah, they want the next chapter for next week…"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Next week… They're loving it Avery, they want the book out for June. They think it has all the potential to be the summer best seller and they're ready to invest a lot of money in advertising. You're finally going to be famous and rich because you're Jackson Avery the writer, not the scion of a doctors monsters family…it's all you ever wanted, man! I'm proud of you!"

"Yeah but…I haven't written a single word, I don't even know where the story is going…I need time…"

"Well, you don't have it. They already gave you plenty of time Avery. You wrote nothing for three years. This is your chance, you can't lose it!"

Jackson sighed, knowing Mark was right.

"Plus," he added "You have your little, lovely muse now! Don't think I haven't noticed your disappointment when I interrupted your sweet lovely talking". Mark smirked again, finding even more satisfaction in Jackson's annoyed reaction.

"We are not together, April is my best friend and.."

"Yes, that best friend you found again after years and now you are falling for… The book you are writing is totally autobiographic, it's crystal clear. I mean…yeah, the whole time travelling plot Is invented probably – or are you really a time traveler? No, because that would be cool man! - but the rest…come on, it's clear you are Jason and April is Alice…you didn't even bother to change the initials" Mark laughed while Jackson sighed exasperated.

"Well…you read it's complicated then…Jason is developing feelings but Alice is…"

"Alice is in denial. Classic. But they'll end up together, it's obvious."

"Then I'm not doing a good job..the end of the story shouldn't be so obvious, don't you think?"

"Nope…It's not necessarily the ending which make a story good, I actually think it's all about the journey. And Jason and Alice's journey is great so far! Very interesting, romantic, not cheesy…it's beautiful love story and the happy ending will only be the icing on the cake".

"Yeah…well, I think I'll give them the happy ending, on paper they will be happy at least"

"They could be happy in real life too… Jason just needs to man up and tell her he loves her" Mark smirked.

"Have I told you I love her? And, most of all, did I give you the impression I want to talk about my love life with you?"

"First question: no, but I can read it on your face. Second question: yes. You totally need my wise advices because you look like a wreck today and I know it has to do with the girl. What did you do? Are you two arguing? Did you do something wrong? Or…" Mark looked in Jackson's eyes and suddenly knew the answer "Ohhhh… you had sex for the first time!"

Jackson looked surprised for a moment and it was all it took for Mark to grin widely "Ha! Yes, totally! You actually looked like someone who's been up all night, you look like a wreck, but a very satisfied one". He smirked. "I didn't know you went to Oho…isn't April from Ohio?"

"You didn't know because I didn't in facts"

"So is she here?…ohhh" he laughed, reading Jackson's mind once again "phone sex, huh?! Well…not as hot as the real thing but it can be satisfying too! But wait, you had phone sex before having sex for real?!"

Mark laughed seeing Jackson's frustration.

"You are an open book to me, man. I'm guessing everything!" he smiled and added in a more serious tone "I'd say it's not the best situation, I can understand the embarrassment of the morning after…but…ehy, now it's all downhill".

"Not if she was so drunk she doesn't even remember it…or, even worse, if she's pretending not to remember it and avoiding me. I just screwed everything up, Mark. Let's face the truth. Everything was fine, she was my best friend again, that was enough. That had to be enough. Now I'm a mess and I can't stand the fact that maybe she's a mess too and she doesn't even want to talk about it with me."

"Just force her to listen to you, then."

"How? And…would it be right?! She has her problems already, who am I to cause her moretroubles? I should be her friend, I should help her, not complicate things even more!"

Sloan's secretary suddenly entered the room "Excuse me, Mr Sloan, Mr Wickman is waiting for you upstairs… "

"Yes, I'm coming" Mark said, approaching the door.

"Next chapter in a week Avery" he said, in a serious tone, waiting for the secretary to leave the room. He turned to Jackson again, then, smiling, feeling real affection for the young man who had become more than a simple friend to him.

"And…by the way…listen to me, son. If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you're scared that it's not the right thing. Even if you're scared that it will cause problems. Even if you are scared that it will burn your life to the ground. You say it. You say it out loud."

Jackson couldn't help but smile, feeling the sincerity in Mark's words.

"And then?" he asked.

Mark shrugged, smiling "And then you go from there" he said, closing the door behind him.

Jackson looked at his phone once again, thinking about Mark's words. Maybe he was right, maybe he needed to man up and just talk to her, whatever her answer would be. _Yes, it's time for a trip to Ohio, Jackson _he thought, leaving Sloan's office, finally firm and determinate to face reality and his feelings.


	7. 7 Spin the bottle

**Hi guys! Thank you again for your support! Here's the next chapter...It's an important one, so I hope you'll like it :)**

**I'm sorry for typos, as you know English is not my language and this one was a little harder to write for me. **

**As always, reviews or messages are very much appreciated :)**

* * *

April hugged her grandmother one last time, her eyes full of tears and that characteristic sensation in her chest, the one she always felt every time she had to leave her grandparents farm: sadness but gratitude, melancholy but peacefulness.

"Thank you Gram, I love you", she said, kissing her cheek and brushing away the tears from her eyes.

"I love you too baby. Stop now, come on! Give me one of your smiles"

April obeyed, a big smile on her face turning into a laugh when she saw Grandma Kate sticking out her tongue, like she always did when April was a child and she wanted to make her stop crying.

"It still works".

"Yeah, it does" April said, putting her bag in the passenger seat, smiling at her grandma once again.

"So…guess I really have to go now, I'll call you when I'm back home, ok? Two hours and I should be there".

"All right darling, drive safe…and remember what I told you, go and be brave, it's always worthy".

April smiled, knowing exactly what she meant "I'll try".

"I want you here with Jackson the next time you come visit me"

April shook her head amused "I'll do what I can".

"And don't wait too long…I'll give you two my bedroom, big bed and all".

"Gram!" April shouted, surprised.

"What? I won't tell your dad, I promise. I remember that little guy, he was so handsome, I bet he's even better now... as soon as you finally leave your fears behind and tell him you love him you won't be able to take your hands off of him. I'm old but I remember that feeling, baby! If you only knew the things I did with your grandpa…"

"Hush, no, please… I don't need to know that" April said, getting in the car "but thank you. You always clear my mind, you are the best!" she said, sending her one last kiss with her hand.

"I do what I can" grandmother Kate said, smiling and waving before going back inside the house.

April had arrived there the day before, sad and confused, hoping one day immersed in nature, in the place where she used to spend all her summers when she was a little girl, could help her think and decide what to do. She had no intention of speaking about her love life with her grandmother, but, as always, she immediately understood what was going on.

"_How do you feel when you are with Matthew'" Grandmother Kate asked her, out of the blue, when they sat in the porch, drinking tea and looking at old photographs._

"_Hum"April started, a little surprised by the question "… I feel…protected, I think he loves me and it's nice to know that he loves me, that he won't hurt me."_

"_And that other guy, how do you feel when you are with him?" Kate asked immediately after, smiling. _

_April immediately blushed "What? What other guy?"_

"_Ohh baby, the one who make you run hiding here… "She smirked._

"_Mom told you about Jackson, didn't she?" she asked, rolling her eyes. _

_Kate smiled "Well, she told me a while ago that you were talking with that old friend of yours again and you seemed really happy… I did the math". _

"_It's not what you think though…I'm not…we're not… it's, well, it's complicated"._

"_Well, we have all the time of the world, baby…"_

Open her heart to her grandmother and tell her the things she was burying inside for months out loud, for the first time, helped her a lot. Deeply inside, she perfectly knew what was going on. She wasn't in love with Matthew, she knew it, she knew she wasn't been fair to him and needed to talk to him. And then she knew she was developing feelings for Jackson, something she never felt before, not even for Bright. And she was incredibly scared, because in a few months Jackson has come back to be one of the most important people in her life. She couldn't risk losing him, and yet, what they did the night before already changed everything between them and she had to face it, sooner or later.

"_So, you drank a little too much and you told him you are attracted to him…and then pretended you didn't remember anything this morning and avoided both him and Matthew, is that all the truth?" _

"_Hum.." April blushed, she obviously wasn't going to tell her grandmother the entire story "yes…more or less…"_

"_Well… you were scared and confused…they're both going to forgive you sweetie. I understand you, it happens when you had bad experiences in the past…. Now you listen to me: tomorrow you go home, you break up with Matthew, he deserves to be with someone who loves him, who reciprocates him… and then you take the first flight to Boston and go tell that boy you love him. Enough with fears, you are young and beautiful, go and love, baby. Go and live."_

The sound of a car horn woke her up from her thoughts. She realized two hours had passed already and she was at the traffic light of Moline. She quickly turned right, now convinced all she needed to do was taking a shower and talk to Matthew, as soon as possible. She parked the car in front of the building and run to the entrance, trying not to get too wet under the heavy rain of the night. She opened her door and trashed her coat on the couch without even turning on the lights. That's when she heard a noise, then another and suddenly the lights turned on and twenty people, maybe more, greeted her with a "SURPRISE", trumpets, confetti and all. April jumped on her feet, making everyone laugh. Then she saw Matthew approaching her with a bottle of sparkling wine in his hands "didn't I tell you this place needed an inauguration party? " he said, laughing, kissing her on the lips.

"I…uhh…yeah…Hi everyone! You scared me to death"she said, faking a smile and an enthusiasm she didn't feel at all. "You…when did you do that? "She asked him, confused "double key, remember? Mer and Alex helped me…" he said, while April smiled at them, noticing everyone was already eating, drinking…someone had turned on the stereo and the music was already too loud. "Thank you!" she said, not really convinced "It's just…the neighbors…I don't want to have problems you know". Matthew laughed "Come on! It's just for tonight…relax and enjoy the party!" he took her hand, leading her to the closed door in front of them. "Plus", he said, "we're not done with surprises…look who I met today at the diner…perfect timing, I'd say" he opened the door and a smiling Jackson enters the living room "Finally…I thought I had to stay closed in the bathroom forever". April's face turned immediately bright red. She wasn't expecting him there, she wasn't expecting to meet him for the first time with Matthew being there and all those other people she really didn't care that much about. Even more now, after what happened between them. She wasn't prepared, she wasn't ready.

"Wow, she's speechless" Matthew said, laughing.

"Hey! April! You can talk, you know?" Jackson said smiling, doing the first step and hugging her. She immediately reciprocates the hug, feeling his strong arms, the heat of his body and his smell, for the first time in years. "I can't believe you are here!" she whispered then, and she felt him smile against her hair. The hug was awkward and yet it felt so good, right and wrong at the same time that April had to take a step back quickly. "Can you believe it?" Matthew said, putting one arm around her shoulders and bringing her body closer to his, the same possessive involuntary gesture he did every time he was there when she spoke to Jackson. "He had some business meeting not too far from here and decided to come visit us...today, just in time for the party". Jackson took himself a drink from the table and smiled "lucky circumstances", he said and April smiled, trying to distance herself from Matthew's grip "I'm happy you are here Jackman!" She looked him in the eyes for the first time and she suddenly felt vulnerable, his gaze was deep yet impenetrable. He was smiling and looked at ease but she could tell he was tense. She was about to start a very stupid conversation about work, just to kill the embarrassment, when David and some other old friends from school interrupted them. Everyone seemed truly happy to have Jackson back in town and April was reviled they all keep him busy for most of the night. She tried her best to enjoy the party and be kind to everyone. She was actually dancing and laughing with the girls when David took her hands and lead her to the coach, Meredith, Cristina and other people were sitting on the floor in circle "spin the bottle Apes! You are the celebrated one, you go first" David said, laughing and making her seat next to Matthew.  
"What? Spin the bottle? Come on! Are we 13 again?"  
"Don't ruin the fun Apes!" Meredith said, clearly drunk already.  
April rolled her eyes and took the bottle, knowing she really had no choice.  
"Hey! Spin the bottle? Really? Are you 13 again?" Jackson approached them from behind making everyone laugh.  
"April just said the exact same thing" Matthew laughed  
"And I said don't ruin the fun, so Jackson...take a sit and play!" Meredith said, moving just enough to let him sit next to her.  
"Yeah, why not?" Jackson smirked, looking intensely at April, almost like he was challenging her. April closed her eyes for a moment and prayed all her saints that the bottle would indicate everyone but him. The familiar choir of "ohhhohhhh" accompanied the bottle spinning on the ground and ended with laughs and whistles when the bottle stopped right in front of Jackson.

_Of course_ she thought while Cristina shouted amused "Ha! Perfect timing Jackson". April was sure she heard Matthew murmur "yeah..Once again". The embarrassment was evident on her face, she looked at Jackson and fake a laugh "kiss on the cheek right?"  
"Are you kidding Apes? Don't act like a 13 years old for real now...tongue kisses, we said it before" Alex smirked. He had always loved to embarrass her.  
"What? No, I haven't heard that..I..." she turned to look at Matthew when Jackson suddenly took her face in between his hands and kissed her full on the lips, earning claps and whistles from their friends. He kissed her gently, touching her lips softly with his while slightly brushing her cheeks with his inches. The kiss lasted less than three seconds but was enough for April to feel weakness at her knees. Flashes of their drunken night running through her head. Her face turned incredibly red and as soon as she pulled away and meet his gaze she knew he knew. He knew she lied, he knew she remembered everything.  
"Cough ehm cough" Alex said, laughing "there's tension in the air" he said looking at Matthew who certainly didn't seem too amused. He shrugged laughing "don't be stupid, it's a game" he said, taking April's hand "go on Jackson...your turn". April smiled at him, but she was not sure she'd hidden her guilt completely. She stayed there for some time again, watched both Jackson and Matthew kissing other people, she had to kiss Lesley and Robert and when her phone rang she was so reviled to be finally able to excuse herself and leave the others to their stupid game. She took her phone and went on the small terrace outside her bedroom. It was cold and it was still raining, but she felt immediately relaxed. She called her mother back quickly and was just about to get back inside and invent an excuse to end that awkward night as soon as possible when the door opened and Jackson approached her, her coat in his hand. "Aren't you cold here?" April smiled, accepting the coat and putting it on, her arms tight around her waist "A little bit… I just…needed some quiet for a moment". Jackson leaned against the banister and nodded, in silence. April sighed. It was time, she had to say something "Why are you here, Jackson?" she asked, looking him straight in the eyes, shy but determined at the same time.

"You remember everything, right? What happened the other night…you remember…" he said, it wasn't a question. He knew.

April nodded silently. Her cheeks blushed, not only because of the cold air now.

"So you know the answer.." he simply said.

"Do you…do you want to talk about it?" she asked, hesitantly.

"I want to tell you I'm sorry" he said and April felt her stomach tangle. So he regrets it after all. He wanted to apologize and go on with his life. She should have known it.

"You don't have to Jackson…we were drunk and we can pretend it never hap.." she rushed to say but he interrupted her, "No! April, no. We can't. It happened and I know what you're thinking but no. I don't regret it…I just, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have taken advantage of you"

"What?" Her voice louder now.

"You were drunk and I should have stopped… I know you were confused and I know you are still with Matthew and you'd feel guilty… you lied to me yesterday, you avoided me and I felt like crap and so… I'm sorry" he said, sincerely.

"I was there too, you know? I participated, because I wanted to…"

"But you feel like what we did was wrong, don't you?"

April sighed "But that's not the problem… maybe it was, surely it was but that's not the problem. The problem is…" she sighed again "the problem is…" she looked at him intently then. His gaze was so intense she almost stopped to breath for a moment.

"…that it felt good" Jackson finished her sentence, never breaking eye contact with her.

"…that it felt good" she repeated. Leaning against the wall, watching his eyes going from her eyes to her lips, then to her eyes again. He gulped and slowly started to walk up to her. April's heart was beating so fast she had to close her eyes and breathe. She could feel his perfume and his breath. His lips only a few inches away from her forehead. He took her hand and slowly guided it to his chest, intertwining their fingers together. She felt his heart beat fast, as fast as hers and when she forced herself to open her eyes and look up at him she saw so much desire in his gaze and so much tenderness at the same time that suddenly all her fears and doubts disappeared.

"Something that feels this good…it can't be bad, right?" He whispered, his nose brushing against hers now. She closed her eyes and…

"I knew it!"

Matthew was looking at them. They pulled away immediately.

"I told myself I was just overreacting, but it was so clear April..So damn clear! You could at least end things with me before jumping in his arms though.." Matthew's voice sad and bitter.

"Hey man, it's not like this, she didn't.." Jackson tried to explain but Matthew punched him.

"Matt don't!" April cried, rushing to stop him. He looked at her one last time and then went back inside, slamming the door. She heard the music stop and someone calling him. Then the front door was slammed and she knew he was gone.

Jackson was still on the ground, his hand covering his eye, the cheekbone bleeding.

"Oh my God!" she said, approaching him "Are you ok?"

"Yeah…yeah, it's ok" he said, standing up.

"I… there's ice in the freezer…you can…I…I gotta go Jackson…I have to talk to him"

Jackson nodded "I know…go" he said, watching her running away.


	8. 8 You drive me crazy

**I know, I surprised even myself. Fast update this time :D**

**Again, thank you to all you readers and a special thank you to those of you who take the time to review or message me. It means a lot. **

**Hope you will enjoy this chiapter :)**

Jackson was starting to get worry. It was already 3 in the morning and April wasn't home yet. Meredith had helped him thanking people and saying goodbye and then left him there, all alone in April's apartment. He had put ice on his eye and then started to clear up the living room, he needed to keep himself busy or the wait would have killed him. When the dishwasher was loaded and the room seemed tidy again he sat on the sofa for ten minutes, thinking about what he was supposed to do. April had run out so fast she didn't even take the phone with her. He decided to leave a note and take a walk. The rain had stopped and he couldn't stay there alone any longer. He quickly wrote "Meet me at our place" on a post-it, left it on the front door and started to walk in the cold night. Their place was a tree house just behind the Kepner's barn. April had told him that the house was still intact and that she still used to go there when she needed to be alone while living with her parents. Jackson remembered everything about Moline, the roads, the farms, the old little church and the school next to it. Being there again was nice and nostalgic. He still felt at home in Moline and, even though he was never the typical country boy, he was glad he had the chance to grow up there. He loved the atmosphere and the feeling of safeness and protection; he understood why April had come back after collage. Thirty minutes later he finally saw the Kepner's farm and right behind it, the barn and the familiar tree. He smiled and climb up there. It was exactly as he remembered it. Joe Kepner had built the house for his daughters on a big tree, able where it was protected from wind, rain and snow. Jackson and April spent so much time there, looking at the stars or hiding from her sisters. It was their favorite place and as soon as he sat on the floor he felt the same sensation of peace and joy.

He didn't have to wait long to hear April's voice calling him quietly.

"Jackson! Are you there?" He smiled reviled and extended his hand to help her.

"Sorry I took so long," she said, sitting down next to him, "How's your eye? Why did you come here?"

"It's fine, I'm fine. I just needed to walk and, I don't know, find a place that reminded me of how our lives used to be simple, uncomplicated. It seems ages ago.". He sighed, trying to find her eyes in the dark.

April smiled, "I know what you mean. Do you remember when we came here to run away from Libbie?"

Jackson laughed quietly "Poor girl, having to babysit two crazy kids like us."

April giggled "It was so much fun though! She was so afraid of high she couldn't reach us up here! She was so angry!"

"_I'll tell mom_!" Jackson said, mimicking Libbie's perky voice. They both laughed sincerely

"And remember when my mother told me I had to move to Boston and we thought we could build a tree house somewhere and live together forever.'"

April sighed, smiling nostalgically ,"maybe we had to try, maybe we wouldn't have lost so much time."

"Right." He said, tentatively taking her hand, "I'm sorry April." He was serious now, "I should have called you before coming here and putting you in that situation. I know Matt is a good guy and I just-"

"I broke up with him." She interrupted him, searching for his eyes.

"Yeah?" He asked, relief evident in his voice.

"Yes. It took me so long because I didn't know where to find him so I stood outside his door for two hours. I came home, tonight, decided to end things anyway. It was just more complicated than I thought, I guess." She smiled, a veil of sadness in her eyes that immediately disappeared. "You only anticipated me by the way". She said and he looked at her surprised, "what do you mean?"

"I was going to take the first flight to Boston tomorrow. I needed to see you."

Jackson smiled widely then, "Yeah?"

"Uh, huh." She said, smiling.

"You needed to see me and tell me what, exactly?" Jackson wasn't able to hold back a smile. He knew what was coming; he could read it in her eyes. He just wanted to tease her a little bit.

April giggled "Maybe the same thing you wanted to tell me here. Why did _you_ come here, exactly?" She repeated his words, sweetly crossing their fingers together.

"Well... they told you, I had stuff to do nearby for work and-"

"Come on! Don't make fun of me! Tell me already!" she said, and even if it was dark he could see she was giving him her famous puppy eye look.

Jackson smirked "Tell you what? That I think I'm in love with you?"

April's smile shined then "You think or you know?"

"I think I know". He said, smiling and closing the distance between them, finally kissing her. He felt like he was kissing a girl for the first time, the emotion was so strong he couldn't think of anything but the softness of her lips, the taste of her tongue and the way she moaned in his mouth. He didn't even notice she had straddled him until their faces were lit by a strong, cold light.

"April!" He heard, and felt her immediately pull away, embarrassed.

"Mom!"

"Snoopy was barking like crazy, he saw your car in front of the house… " Karen said, only then noticing Jackson "Oh my God! Jackson! Is that you?!"

"Of course he is." They heard Joe's voice in the background, he had watched the scene in silence and Jackson could tell he was far from happy to see him. He scratched his head embarrassed while April was furiously trying to fix her hair.

"Yes, ehm…Hi, I mean, good night MRS Kepner, MR Kepner." He said, climbing off the tree. Karen hugged him immediately "Oh dear! I'm so happy to see you!" She giggled, "I have to say I wasn't expecting to meet you while you were kissing my daughter in our garden but…" She laughed out loud then, looking at April's evident red face, despite the dark and took her husband's hand "What did I tell you Joe? It was just a matter of time. No surprises here."

"Mooom, please!" April said, embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. She shyly looked at Joe then, "I'm sorry we woke you up dad, we didn't want to… "

"I was worried when I saw your car there and you not at home" Joe said, frowning.

"Please, excuse us, MR Kepner." Jackson said immediately "It was my fault. I arrived in town yesterday and I wanted to see this place again because, huh, well, it was a complicated night and-"

"Yeah, you're telling me" Joe said, shouting him.

"Dad! Please!"

"Your daughter is right Joe, leave them alone. April is obviously fine!" She giggled again and April couldn't help but roll her eyes, looking apologetically at Jackson. Karen continued "it's late in the night and it's cold, we are all tired, do you want to come inside and tell us the entire story in front of a hot chocolate?"

"Yes, that's how you leave them alone" Joe answered for them, sarcastically, making April giggle and Jackson could finally relax a bit. Joe seemed less angry at least.

"Mom, I promise I'll tell you everything but now I think it's just better if you go back to sleep and we go home."

"Ok sweetie." Karen smiled.

"Tomorrow night? For dinner?" Joe suddenly asked. "What?" He added, seeing their surprised expressions. "From what I saw tonight – and even before tonight actually – I really think we have to talk son. About a lot of things, starting with that black eye for example."

Jackson was trying to say something but Joe went on "Plus, I had The Talk with all my sons-in-law so… I guess it's your turn now."

"Oh God!" April said "Not you too Dad."

Karen laughed while Jackson took April's hand "No, no. it's fine. I'm sure we can come here for dinner tomorrow, and…uhm, talk, MR Kepner."

"Deal then. Now let's all go to bed…to _sleep_." He said, walking back to the farm, his wife right behind him.

"See you tomorrow babies, drive safe": Karen said, still giggling, going back inside the house.

"Oh my Jesus! This was so embarrassing!" April said when they were finally alone again, walking back to April's car.

"You're dad is gonna kill me." Jackson simply said. He looked at her than and suddenly burst out laughing.

"What?" She said, not able to hold back laughter too. "My dad wants to kill you and you laugh?"

"You should have seen your face! You were there trying desperately to fix your hair, all red and embarrassed."

"Oh yes, because you were so much better," she said smiling and handing him the keys, "shut up and drive me home instead."

"Your wish is my command lady", he opened her door, bright smile on his face.

"Ohhh, now you are a gentleman!" She said, sitting in the passenger sit and smiling at him.

"I always am." Jackson smiled back, starting the car.

She hit him on the leg playfully and asked "So…my dad said we need to go home…_to sleep_."

"He did. I think he's right. I'm so tired." Jackson said, yawning, loving to tease her.

"Really? You want to sleep? Oh that's too bad; I was dying to do all the things I said I wanted to do to you the other night…" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, holding back a smile.

Jackson was resigned already. She would always win.

"You're not playing it fair…" He said and abruptly pushed on the gas pedal making her laugh.

"What? Are you in a rush now?"

"Oh, you have no idea!" He said, smirking.

"Ehi, it's red" she said and he suddenly braked hard the car at the traffic light. "Damn it."

"Don't kill us now!" April giggled, seeing how impatient he was.

"It's your fault, you distract me."

"But I did nothing. This is what I'd call distracting you.." she approached him seductively, slowly starting to kiss his neck while her hands brushed his chest, every second nearer to the hem of his jeans.

"God April…you're making it so-"

"Hard?" She whispered.

She laughed seeing him opening his eyes wide and gulping.

"Really?" He asked, the green light signaling he could finally restart.

"I created a monster" He said, shooking his head, making her laugh even more.

They spent the remaining ten minutes laughing for no particular reason and he had never felt so happy in his entire life. He thought he could live like this forever, with the sound of her laugh and her hand on his knee.

When they finally parked the car they rushed upstairs hand in hand. Jackson pushed her against the wall next to the door, kissing her hardly while his hands discovered every curves of her body.

"Jackson." She managed to say in between kisses. "Let's just open the door. You closed it, you have the keys." She said, kissing down his collarbone, her breathing accelerated and her hands impatiently unbuttoning his jacket.

"Shit!" He said, pulling away. "I left them in the tree house."

April looked at him and closed her eyes frustrated "Are you freaking kidding me?"

Jackson laughed "Oh, I love it when I drive you crazy, _baby_." He smirked, holding up the keys just in front of her eyes.

"Ha Ha Ha very funny!" April rolled her eye, "If you can break the magic just to make fun of me I guess I should let you sleep for real…._baby_" she said, holding back a smile and taking the keys to finally open the door.

"You sure?" he whispered in her ear, biting her lobe and hugging her from behind. He started to kiss her neck slowly "because I was thinking on driving you crazy in the good way now", he smirked, his voice husky and low. When she turned around and looked at him he saw so much love and desire in her eyes that all the playfulness suddenly went away. He gulped and kissed her sweetly, pulling back just to help her taking off her jacket and shoes and free himself of them too. April kissed him again, biting his bottom lip and sucking it slowly, searching for his eyes. "God, you're beautiful." He said, admiring her before picking her up. Her legs around her hips, her hands in his short hair, he somehow managed to carry her to the bedroom while she kissed and bit his neck. He throw her on the bed growling, making her giggle and quickly covered her with his body, bending down to kiss her stomach and slowly taking off her shirt. They were both so impatient that the other clothes followed immediately after. Seeing her naked for the first time, touching and kissing her felt so natural and spontaneous, as if everything they did in their lives was supposed to lead them there, in that moment."I love you", she whispered when their body finally became one. "I love you too", he answered, every other words becoming suddenly useless.

They made love twice that night, the first time fast, almost desperately, the second time slower, more gently, discovering every inches of their bodies, every sounds coming from their mouths. And when Jackson woke her up in the morning, brushing his nose against hers and saw her open her eyes and smile brightly, her face lightened by the pink and orange of the sunrise, he finally knew what happiness truly meant.


End file.
